Trump Arraigned, Charges Revealed

(UnitedVoice.com) – A Manhattan grand jury indicted Former President Donald Trump on March 30. Five days after the indictment was handed down, the 45th POTUS was in a New York City courtroom for his arraignment.

On April 4, Trump was officially booked and arraigned in his hometown. District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged the former president with 34 counts of falsifying business records, all felonies. Leading up to the arraignment, the media reported the charges were related to alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels who claimed she had an affair with him in 2006.

In addition to the charges related to Daniels, the former president was accused of paying another woman, Karen McDougal, to keep quiet leading up to the 2016 election. The indictment discussed an alleged “catch and kill scheme” by Trump’s campaign to suppress negative stories about him. NBC News reported Prosecutor Chris Conroy accused Trump of engaging in an “illegal conspiracy” to “undermine the election.”

The 45th president’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen paid McDougal $150,000, and he gave Daniels $130,000. A doorman was also reportedly paid off. The indictment mentions Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal election laws in 2018 in relation to the alleged scheme involving Trump. Those election violations are what the Manhattan prosecutor is using to enhance the misdemeanor charges of falsifying records. Some experts have pointed out that Bragg’s decision to do that could lead to problems down the road.

Bragg released a statement after Trump pleaded not guilty to the 34 charges, saying, “everyone stands equal before the law.”

We just announced a 34-count felony indictment of former President Donald J. Trump. Learn more: https://t.co/PTTh2zlsvv pic.twitter.com/IUE6JjdrS2

— Alvin Bragg (@ManhattanDA) April 4, 2023

No video cameras were allowed inside the courtroom as the arraignment took place. However, five news photographers were inside the court. According to an NBC News report, the former president did not have a mugshot taken when he was arrested and booked.